PUNE, Dec 2: Even as complaints over the increasing number of potholes pour in, thanks to the untimely rains during the last fortnight, the civic Road Department finds itself in a fix as funds earmarked for road repairs have been already exhausted. Reliable sources at the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) told The Indian Express that the entire budgetary provision for road repairs, Rs 65 lakh, has already been spent. In fact, the Road department has carried out additional repair work of Rs 10 lakh during the last two months and is yet to settle the bills of private contractors.

The road repair work will be halted prematurely if an emergency provision is not made soon, the officer said. This is perhaps the first time that the entire budgetary allocation for a civic work has been utilised long before the financial year-end. With four months left, department officials have no alternative but to seek a special grant to carry out minimum repairs.

Untimely rains have added to problems.

The Department chief P T Pawar has written a letter to the municipal commissioner Ramanath Jha requesting him to divert the funds earmarked for other civic works for road repairs. It may be noted that Jha had provided Rs 1.10 crore for road repairs in the civic budget draft for the year 1997-98.

However, the standing committee, while finalising the budget, had slashed the allocation by Rs 45 lakh.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.